1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to actuators, such as mechanical actuators, for example.
2. Related Art and Other Considerations
Actuators are utilized for numerous technical applications. Many actuators are of a type which have a moveable shaft or a piston which selectively extends and retracts. Upon extension the actuator shaft may, by contacting another mechanical or electrical element, either initiate/enable or cease/disable a particular operation. Alternatively, the actuator shaft may take the form of a valving element, such as a spool in a spool valve, for selectively facilitating, e.g., fluid flow through the valve.
The degree and accuracy of actuator shaft extension, and the amount of signaling required to accomplish the actuator shaft extension/retraction, can be problematic. What is needed, therefore, and an object of the present invention, is technique, method, and apparatus for controlling actuator shaft movement.